6/10/25
TED Talk Tuesday: Your Time Isn’t Free Just Because You’re Online
aka Why You’re Not an On-Demand Human Pop-Up Shop
Let’s cut to the chase.
If you run a digital business or any business—especially from home—people will test your boundaries. Sometimes they mean well. Sometimes they don’t. But either way, the moment you make yourself too available, people forget you’re a business owner… and start treating you like an app.
📲 “I messaged you 10 minutes ago—did you see it yet?”
📲 “Hey I know it’s late but I just had a quick question…”
📲 “I just sent the files—can you look RIGHT NOW?”
It’s exhausting. It’s invasive. And here’s the kicker—it’s normalized.
Like somehow, because your business lives on the internet, your time is public property.
Spoiler alert: It’s not.
The Home Office Illusion
Let’s talk optics.
Your “office” might be your kitchen table. Your assistant might be a toddler in a dinosaur onesie. Your breakroom? It’s your laundry pile. And your coworker definitely just knocked over a cup of iced coffee. (Again.)
But none of that makes your time less legit.
You might be wearing slippers, but you are still the CEO of your brand.
You’re still designing, uploading, marketing, emailing, bookkeeping, and engaging daily. Just because there’s no corporate badge doesn’t mean you’re not working a full-time job.
And yet, there’s this weird social pressure where if you don’t respond fast, people assume you’re being lazy, rude, or unprofessional.
Let me be very clear: Slow response times do not equal poor service. They equal boundaries.
Let’s Talk Boundaries (For Real)
If the word “boundaries” makes you cringe a little… I get it.
We’re wired to be “nice.” We’re taught to be available. We’re afraid of losing sales, followers, or approval by drawing a line.
But guess what?
People-pleasing is not a business strategy.
It’s a fast track to burnout, bitterness, and business resentment.
And here's something no one talks about: when you train people to expect 24/7 access to you, you create a monster that you then have to keep feeding.
Every time you reply at midnight…
Every time you “just hop on real quick” during dinner…
Every time you interrupt your weekend to handle something non-urgent…
You teach people that your time is negotiable. That their convenience is more important than your schedule.
Let’s stop doing that.
You Need Office Hours—Even If Your Office Is a Couch
Imagine walking into Target at 3am and being shocked it’s closed.
You wouldn’t do that. So why do people treat online business owners like we should be open 24/7?
Set the hours.
Make the auto-replies.
Put it in your bio.
Let people know: “I respond during these hours, and outside of that, I’m living my life.”
And if they get annoyed? Good. Let them take that entitlement somewhere else.
Reminder: You Are Not a Robot
You are not Google.
You are not DoorDash.
You are not ChatGPT at midnight.
You are a human being running a business—possibly while parenting, caregiving, managing mental health, or just trying to get through a Wednesday without crying into your coffee.
Your energy is finite.
Your peace is priceless.
And your time? That’s your most valuable asset.
Start treating it like it costs money—because it does.
TL;DR?
You’re allowed to log off.
You’re allowed to wait until tomorrow.
You’re allowed to not explain yourself for taking a break.
✨ Your time isn’t free. Just because you’re online doesn’t mean you’re available.
Start enforcing the kind of respect you give others—and watch your sanity (and business) grow.